Healing Deeper Wounds
by WarriorcCatLove412
Summary: Garry has fulfilled his promise of reunion to Ib and is practically family to her and her parents. Life couldn't be better, it would seem for a certain young ten year old. But what happens when Ib's parents get into a tragic car accsident? How will Garry Cope with having his favorite ten year old in his home? I suck at summaries. It's better than it sounds. I hope.
1. Author's Note

Hey

My name is hey412. So this is my first story ever on . So please, no flames! Furthermore, since this my first story, I wanted to test it out by posting the first chapter of this story as my guinea pig. Don't worry if you read the summery and wanted to read it, I will be adding more chapters. I will try update chapters as often as I can. I just don't want to be one of those people who almost never update or just quit the story completely without telling their readers first. {No offence to those who do!}

Although that might be a little difficult with school starting soon. {Teenage girl drama! D:} Anyway, I'll do my best.(:


	2. Chapter 1: The Call

**Hey sorry about the confusion earler. Well, heres Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ib**

* * *

Garry's POV

It was a rainy evening when I got the call. Ib's parents were out and they had asked me to baby sit. I picked up the phone. "Hello?" "_Hello? This is the New York State Police Department. We are calling to inform you that Mr. and Mrs. Hart have been in a car accident." "_Garry?" I felt small hands tugging on my coat. "Who is it?" I looked down at her in shock. "Uh… I'll be right back," I said to her, quickly.

I ran into the master bedroom of Ib's home and closed the door. "Are they alright?" I asked. "_Unfortunately the incident was fatal. We looked up their records and we understand that they have a young child?" "_Yes." "_You must be the baby sitter, correct?" _"Yes." _"Then we'll need you to bring her down to the station right away."_ "Ah. Ok…"

The man on the other line hung up first. I was shaking. How was I going to tell Ib? I opened the door and jumped to see Ib standing there. She giggled at me. "I scared you!" She exclaimed. "Uh… listen," '_here we go…' _"We need to go down to the police station." "Why?" She asked. "Uh… you see, something… _happened…" _"Like what? "Um…" I sighed and kneeled down to her height. "Look, Ib. I'm going to have to be strait-forward with you. Your parents… they were… they were in an accident_." _


	3. Chapter 2: At The Station

**Hey sorry the last chapter was so short and kinda sucked. I hope this one is better.(:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib**

* * *

Garry's POV

Ib cocked her head. "An accident?" "Yeah," I said in the in the calmest voice I could manage. "A-are they ok?" _Ah here comes the worst of it…_ "No… U-Unfortunately… they're not."

The look of complete shock on her face broke my heart. I noticed tears forming in her eyes. "But they're in Heaven now, right?" I said quickly to cheer up the small girl. She sniffled and nodded. "Right. We need to go to the station now, okay?"

* * *

At the police station:

Ib's POV

Garry drove me to the police station. I tried so hard to hold back my tears. I didn't want anyone to see me cry. Especially not Garry. I wanted to seem strong to him like he always was for me.

We walked up to the front desk. Garry and the women behind the desk began to talk back and forth. I didn't hear what they said. I wasn't really listening. The women kept sending me sad looks between words. I put my hands in my pocket only to find my handkerchief. The one my mother gave to me for my ninth birthday. I pulled it out and looked it over, seeing the faintly noticeable red stains that covered the white cloth.

It took me a moment to realize that the women was talking to me. She told me that her name was Molly and that I needed to follow her. I looked back at Garry as I followed Molly into another room.

* * *

Garry's POV:

I watched Ib leave. I turned back to the desk. "So what's going to happen to her?" I asked a cop that came to pick up some papers off Molly's desk. "She will probably go with a family member if not a foster home," he said.

I only nodded. I felt so bad for Ib. So young and yet so much stress put on her. First the museum and now this. It must be so hard on her. Yet I still had to admire her bravery.

"Are you a close friend to the family?" Asked a man in a suit that seemingly came out of nowhere. "I know them well, yes." "Do you know of any family members that Ib could stay with?" he asked. I shook my head no. The man sighed and left.

He came back a few minutes later and told me that she had an aunt in North Carolina that she could stay with. Molly brought Ib out so the man in the suit could tell her the news. I watched as she quickly shook her head and ran to me. She wrapped her little arms around my waist and hid her face in my shirt. "I-Ib?"


	4. Chapter 3: Testimony

**Hey sorry it took so long.**

**I own nothing**

* * *

Ib's POV:

"I don't want to go with Aunt Hannah! I want to stay with Garry!" It was true I knew Garry better and I had only met my Aunt once when she came to visit. Her and my mother didn't get along very well. Her visit ended when my mother kicked her out after some sort argument. Also, if I had another nightmare about that dreaded gallery, she'd think I was crazy. My parents did. Only Garry would understand…

"Please let me stay with Garry?" I pleaded. "I don't want to leave New York! I like my school!" By now I was crying and everyone was staring. I didn't want to leave. I grew up here. All my memories of my parents were in this city. It was my home.

* * *

Garry's POV:

I gave the policeman a stunned look. "And how do you feel about this? Would you mind taking her in?" the policeman said, eying me. I was still pretty shocked. I snapped out of it and I finally nodded my head. "N-no I wouldn't mind."

It seemed weird, but I couldn't let Ib end up in foster care or with some relative in a state far away where she didn't even want to go. Besides, I've babysitted Ib overnight before and it wasn't so bad. How hard could parenting be, anyway?

"Of course, you'll have to take this up with a judge," he said. He gave me some numbers for a lawyer.

* * *

Garry's POV:

The case went pretty well. The judge had agreed to let Ib stay with me but on one condition: that we have a social worker come to my home every month to check on her progress until the addoption forms were completed. Also, according to the judge, Ib had to receive therapy for the loss of her parents. Even though I knew she would probably be ok even without the therapy. She was a very strong girl, after all.

We gathered all of Ib's belongings from her house and we were on our way back to my apartment.


	5. Chapter 4: Flashback

**Ok so I've been getting a lot of people saying that my chapters are too short. I know this. That's okay, though. I appreciate your criticism. It makes my writng better. I call it 'tough love.' Anyway, I've been trying to make them longer. It seems that they're getting longer as I go. And as for updating, I guess I could do better. So sorry for any disapointment. If if you have any suggestions or concerns, just write them down as reviews and I'll fix it right away. Note: I do read every review and I appreciate every one of them. Okay enough of my blabbering and get on with the story. Altough, it's not like anyone reads these things, anyway. So here's chapter that's a bit longer. Well enjoy.(:**

**I Own Nothing.**

* * *

Garry's POV:

Ib was pretty quiet the whole ride there. That was pretty unusual for her. She was usually very talkative with me. Of course, I couldn't blame the child. Maybe she really did need therapy after all…

* * *

Ib's POV:

I didn't say much to Garry as he drove me to his home. I guess I could call it my home now, right? I meant to thank him for all his kindness and generosity but… I was too lost in thought…

_My sock-covered feet made soft footsteps on the plush, white carpet as I raced down the hallway and into my parents' master bedroom. I burst though the door and hopped on the bed in an attempt to wake them._

"_Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! You can't be sleeping on Christmas!" "…Ib? It's 6:00 A.M…" My father spoke, in a sleepy voice. "Oh, show some enthusiasm, Sweetheart. All children get exited on Christmas!" My mother said in her smooth, honey-soaked voice. _

_I pulled my mother and father down the stairs to see a huge, beautifully decorated pine tree. The colorful lights shined proudly at its magnificent sight. Although, at that age, I was more interested in the large mound of gifts piled under the tree. _

_One of the gifts was a large clear ball that felt cold to the cool to the touch. Inside were three happy-looking snowmen inside. "Momma? What is this?" "That's what's called a snow globe. When you shake it, it will snow inside." My eyes glowed with fascination as I watched the tiny snowflakes float slowly down to the bottom. _

"_And when you twist this little knob," she continued, turning the knob, "It will play music!" She flipped the snow globe back over as it began to play a beautiful melody that made me sleepy. She must have noticed my eyes drooping because she then said, "We can put it on your shelf tonight when you go to sleep._

_After opening the rest of the gifts, my mother made me her special Christmas breakfast, pancakes in the shape of a candy cane. With syrup swirled to make it look like stripes. _

_After lunch, my father took me out to the top of the large hill in which our house was located. I sledded for hours. I also made snow angels. We even made a snowman! My mother made me hot chocolate with little mini marsh mellows floating on top. _

_Later that evening after our special holiday dinner, my father and mother carried my four-year-old form into my bedroom and put me to bed. My father reached up on the high shelf, and put my snow globe in its new home. I listened to the snow globe's peaceful song. It was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep… _

"Ib! _Ib! _My head jerked toward the voice that was calling my name. "Huh?" My cheeks felt wet. I reached up and realized I had been crying. Garry gave me a sympathetic look. "Come on, Ib we're here."

* * *

Garry's POV:

I felt so sorry for her… I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be her right now. It was even hard for me to think about… I mean I had talked to Mr. and Mrs. Hart just a few hours before it happened… It just somehow didn't feel… _real._

Yet she was kind of starting to worry me… The whole way there I kept trying to talk to her but she wouldn't respond. She wouldn't even look at me… She just stared out the window in silence. I understand she must have been daydreaming but… She was crying… I just hoped she was all right…

* * *

Ib's POV:

I looked around at the familiar surroundings. Garry's apartment wasn't all that far from my own home. Just a few blocks. Garry led me to the door. I remember the first few times that I came here I couldn't tell any of the apartments apart. Garry always had to show me which one was his. Now it was easy. Luckily he did have an extra bedroom. It was small, but it would work. He unlocked the door and we stepped inside. Garry carried my stuff to my new room. I went and sat down on the couch.

* * *

Garry's POV:

I gave Ib the spare bedroom in my tiny apartment. I really had no use for it until now. I mostly used it for storage.

After I took all of Ib's things to her room. I noticed she was sitting on the couch with her hands in her lap just staring at the floor. "Ib?" I called, "Ib?" I sat down next to her. She continued to stare downwards. I waved my hand in front of her face. Nothing. I finally shook her. "Ib!" She suddenly looked up but not at me. It was as if I wasn't even there. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, again.

I called her name once more and she finally acknowledged me. "Are you ok?" I asked. She nodded innocently as if nothing had even happened. "Are you sure…?" She nodded again. "Okay…"

It took me awhile to get her to eat. She ate very little but at least she had something in her stomach. After dinner she told me she was tired and that she wanted to sleep.

There was definitely something wrong with her. I couldn't wait to get her to therapy. I just wanted to see her happy again…


	6. Chapter 5: Nightmares

**Hey guys! I'd like to thank you all for your support. I'm also making a "To The Moon" 1shot. So check that out when it's if you'd like. **

**Oh and NOTE: I think of Garry as a parrent or older brother figure to Ib. There is absolutly no romance in this story once so ever. **

**With that said, on with the story! :D **

**I Own Nothing**

* * *

Ib's POV:

_Terror filled my heart as I bolted down the dark corridor. I could hear the loud footsteps of the statues and the sound of picture frames dragging on the floor close behind me. Mary's chilling voice rang in my ears. "Can't run… Ib… Stay here… with me…" I clung to my rose for dear life even though the thorns were piercing into my skin, making my hand bleed._

_My heart raced as I realized I had run into a dead-end. I frantically searched for a way out. There was none. I was trapped between three walls and the demons who's one wish was to end my life. _

_I dropped down to my knees and covered my face with my hands, tears spilling from my eyes. I faced the corner and waited for the pain. _

_I heard a small noise behind me. It sounded like…a lighter? I turned around quickly and expected to see my good friend who had come to save me once again. I was wrong. I was blinded by bright orange light. Its heat scorched my skin and stung my eyes. The museum creatures were burning! _

_I felt a brief moment of victory but it quickly faded. I looked closer and could just make out a silhouette. The smoke cleared a bit and I recognized the long blonde hair and the bright blue eyes of Mary._

_Only this time, it was different. She looked distraught. Her hair was all singed and matted. Her face, stained with tears and ashes. Her eyes glittered with blackened rage and a little hint of _sorrow. _A petal less rose hung limp from her hair. Yellow, wilted petals littered the floor around her. _

_I became petrified when I realized she was holding a sparkling blue rose in her hand. Her sickening voice sang as she plucked Garry's life away petal by petal. "He loves me… He loves me not…" _

_A pool of blood started to form around me. "He _loves_ me!" She cheered excitedly, as she pulled the last petal away from its stem. I watched the petal as it slowly fell to the floor that was now a sea of blood. Although, it looked a little more like red paint. All I could hear was Mary's Maniacal laugh that echoed through the halls._

_The flames surrounded me, getting closer to me every second. Igniting the paint that lapped at my feet. They danced around gleefully as if mocking me. Now I was really trapped. The flames came closer and closer. Suddenly… everything just… Stopped. _

"_Ib!" The voice sounded so familiar… That's what frightened me. "Ib!"_

"Ib! Wake up!" I jolted awake. I looked around fearfully as I tried to remember where I was. I felt my forehead only to find out I was drenched in sweat. I had been dreaming!

"Ib?" I looked up at Garry who was standing beside my bed, worry in his eyes.

Garry's POV:

I had been sleeping when I heard the hysterical screaming coming from the bedroom next to mine. I quickly ran to her. I called her name a few times and shook her until her eyes finally snapped open.

"Ib?" She looked up at me. "Are you okay? You were screaming." Strands of her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

It hurt to see her like this. I wanted to somehow take all the pain away. To make her forget everything that had made her feel this way. **{Tht sounded like a song(:}**

I jumped in surprise when I was suddenly tackled in a hug that nearly knocked me off my feet. She started sobbing into my shirt. I could feel her little heart beating a mile a minute with fear. Or was it relief?

I too had to relive that hellish nightmare in my sleep many, many times. Even now, after year, they still occasionally came.

Ib's POV:

He was the only one who could protect me now. Even when I still had my mother and father with me, they never understood. Only he would. Even so, I felt safer around him. I know that if I hadn't of found him in that evil place, I don't think I would even be here right now. If he protected me then, he would protect me now.

"It's okay, Ib," he reassured me, "It was only a dream." His soothing voice relaxed me. It made me feel like everything was going to be okay.

Later that day, Garry told me that I had to see something called a _physiatrist. _I had no idea what that was but he said that it was going to help me, so I agreed.

When we got there, we waited in the waiting room forever, it seemed. Sure, they had a lot of toys and games in there but they were all mostly for younger children and didn't really catch my interest at all. When we were finally called in, Garry had to stay where he was and the lady that was supposingly a physiatristtook me into a room and kept asking me a lot of weird, random questions. She also told that her name was Laura Cargo and we were going to be _best_ friends. I was officially creeped out. I didn't see how this was going to help me at all. I found it both completely pointless and irritating. I did _not _want to go back there.

Garry's POV:

When we got to the physiatrist, we waited for a long time. When Ib came back out, she looked as if she had been trapped in there for an eternity and was finally set free.

She had told me that she hated it here and never wanted to come back. I wonder what happened? Unfortunately for her, it was ordered by law that she had to come back. I dreaded next week when the time to come back comes.


	7. Chapter 6: Sweet Memories

**Hey guys. I'm _sooooo _sorry for not updating in like 5 days. It was just really hard to think so something for this one. So as a reward for my patient and very forgiving readers; I will post two chapters 2night. The second one's already done so it will be posted in... just a few minutes!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**I Own Nothin!**

* * *

Garry's POV:

About a month had passed and Ib seemed to be doing a lot better. She's been a lot more talkative towards me but not so much with others. When the social worker came, she'd say little to nothing but she was starting to get better. She still refused to say a word to the therapist. I wondered if it was even worth our time.

The only thing that still really worried me was that Ib would still just sit there and daydream for hours at a time. I wonder what she was thinking about…?

* * *

Ib's POV:

_We stared out the window of my father's shiny, red car. Never before had I seen anything like it. Clear skies hovered over miles and miles of bright green grass. Moreland, as my moorland had called it. Behind the tall, grassy hills, huge, fluffy clouds floated airlessly above as far as the eye could see._

_I sat next to my old friend Roxanne. Her red hair, pulled back in a ponytail and her bright, brown eyes were covered by her huge purple sunglasses that she insisted her Grandparents that she bring. Her Grandparents had agreed to let her come on vacation with my family and I for Spring Break. It was the best day of our 5 ½ year old lives._

_Our car rolled slowly down the road so we could enjoy the scenery and it truly was amazing. For the first time in my life, I heard no busy traffic, no tall buildings, or anything at all. It was actually so peaceful. _

_We enjoyed the scenery for a while before my father pulled into a dusty, old dirt road that led to a large parking lot. Beyond that, millions of rides that spun fast, and plunged deep into the sky._

_Roxanne and I got out of the car and ran excitedly to the large entrance with a colorful ticket booth next to it. The friendly looking man in the booth smiled back at us and put yellow paper bracelets around each of our wrists. He told us that when we wear the special paper passes, we could ride any ride we wanted for free._

_After the fair, my mother and father took us to a very expensive, five-star hotel. They told us that in the morning, if we behaved ourselves, they would take us swimming at the small indoor water park inside the hotel after breakfast. That's exactly what we did._

_When we got to the water park, there had to be hundreds of kids there. I noticed that there was an arcade in a room right next to the watery fantasy. We decided not to go in there, there were mostly boys in there, anyway._

_We stayed there all day, only leaving once for a lunch break and some ice cream. We even went on a boat ride! The water was crystal clear and sparkling in the afternoon sun. We enjoyed the food that my mother had brought for us. Watermelon, sandwiches of all kinds, popsicles, apples, salads, etc. _

_At the end of the day, we decided to go fishing on our boat. It was evening and the sun was going down, if you looked up into the darkening sky, all you could see was a gigantic full moon that seemed to hang airlessly in front of beautiful orange and red rays of clear sunshine. _**{I actually saw this one summer. It was amazing!}**

_It was the best spring break of our five 1/2 year-old lives and I would never forget it…_

I woke up from my distant memories to the smell of food. My stomach growl and I realized just how hungry I was. I hadn't been eating much for the last couple of days… I stood up from the couch and wandered toward the small kitchen that was connected to the living room. I wasn't surprised to see Garry there.

He must have heard me come in because he turned half-way to look at me. "Hi, Ib. Are you hungry?" The smell of grilled cheese drifted to my nostrils. One of my most favorite foods. My stomach growled again only louder. "I thought so…"

_He took the sandwich off the pan and onto a plate. He gave it to me and told me I could eat in the living room, if I'd like, _and watch TV. I told him I'd rather in my room and he agreed.

After ditching my empty plate, I went back into my room to go through the extra boxes and bins that I had not yet had time to open. I found a few of my family photo albums in which I found pictures of family and friends.

I found a few pictures of that one, special spring break. In one picture, Roxanne and I were doing funny poises to show off to the camera. The next was of her and I going down the neon green water slide together. The Last was of all of us together smiling happily of the excitement over the last two weeks.

I put down my album and began to rummage through some of the other bins. I got to the bottom of one to find a ball of newspaper. I motioned to pick it up, when I did, I realized that it was heaver than I imagined it would be.

Holding it, it felt so cold, and strangely familiar. I curiously began to pull away the old, wrinkled paper. My eyes widened with realization as I saw what I had discovered.

Three happy-looking snowmen smiled back at me. I twisted the little knob on the bottom and it played that beautiful, familiar little tune that I had grown so fondly of over in my early years.

I shook it and small snowflakes and watched as they floated slowly to the bottom. Joy-sprinkled tears brimmed in my eyes as I held the clear, glass ball close to my heart.

I carried it to my bed and I held it in my arms as I drifted off into a peaceful sleep, listening to the soft music play into my soul.

It was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7: Relive The Nightmares

**Here's Chapter 7, as promised. Hope u's like it.**

**I Still Own Nothing!**

* * *

Garry's POV:

_I held my lighter in front of me as we walked slowly through the dark hallways. I felt small hands clutching to my other arm as I guided Ib away from danger._

_Nothing was worse than this hellhole and I just wanted to curl up against the wall and wait for the nightmare to be over. I knew I couldn't. I had to be strong for the young child at my side that put so much trust in me. I knew that if we were to get out of here, together, I had to think fast and stay on my feet. _

_I suddenly heard a sound behind me. I turned around quickly, the small flame trailing in a twirling motion behind me. No one was there. I turned cautiously back around but only to find a knife pressed against my throat, I acknowledged the danger with a gasp._

"_You think you're stronger than me, don't you?" The squeaky voice asked. "You think that you beat me... At my own game, too, huh? Well I don't think you understand what this place is! This is my world! I own it! You think you can just come to my home and _destroy _it? Ib is _my _friend and she is never leaving me again! Ever!"_

_I felt the girl tremble at my side. "Garry?" She squeaked. I pushed her behind me, protectively. Mary's blue eyes traveled from mine to Ib's._

"_Doesn't that sound fun… Ib?" Her voice was merely a whisper. "You can stay here forever… with me…! We can play with my dolls… see?" She held up one of those disturbing blue dolls. _

_I took this as my chance while the little she-devil was distracted and pushed her to the floor. "Run, Ib!" I called. She ran in front of me as we franticly searched for a way out. I could hear Mary's footsteps following us and she was catching up fast. _

_Suddenly a bright, white light flashed in my eyes, making me stop. It was the painting! Our way out! I grabbed Ib's wrist and pulled her with me toward the heavenly bright light. _

_We were stopped short when the statues stepped out in front of us and Mary giggled behind me. "I told you, Ib is never leaving… and neither are you…" _

_I felt pain rip through my body as my rose was torn from my hand and a few delicate petals were sent to the floor. She took the lighter from my pocket and held it to my dazzling blue rose. _

"_Now you'll feel the pain that I felt that long time ago… I'm getting my revenge…" She started the little faithful flame and I felt burns cover my body and sent my skin smoking. I screamed in pain and fell to the floor._

_The last thing I saw was Mary drag Ib away and disappear into the darkness. Then everything went silent._

When I woke up, I was safe in my bed. "Another nightmare?" I thought. This had been the third one in a row this week.

I decided to get up and check on Ib just in case she had had another nightmare and to make sure that she had even slept at all.

When I got to her room, I realized that her light was on. Another thing that I noticed was that a lot of the boxes and bins that were in her closet were pulled out and most of them were opened.

She also had a snow globe that sat on her nightstand next to her bed. I'd never seen it before and it sparkled and shined in the mourning sunshine.

It didn't look like Ib had had any nightmares so I shrugged it off and headed towards the kitchen where I kept my house phone. I needed to find a baby-sitter of some sort if I was to go to work at the grocery store the next day.

It wasn't that hard to find someone to watch Ib. A lot of people knew and loved her. I decided on Mrs. Perkins. A retired elementary school teacher that lived next door to Ib's parents house. She just happened to be one of my favorite teachers when I was younger, so I trusted her. She would always bring special treats for all of her students. She would never raise her voice and was always kind to every one she met.

Ib wasn't so thrilled to hear that I would be gone everyday and she would be sent to a stranger's home for seven hours a day but she knew I had to go.

Besides, it would just be until she started school in a couple of months then I would get out of work before she got home from school.

But that might not be for awhile, though. Summer was going to end in a couple months but I wasn't quite sure she was ready to be around so many people at a time.

Kids could be cruel, so if she didn't start talking and being more social able around people… I feared that this year could start off rough.

Her parents always said she was a good student, so just maybe she could learn to ignore the other children around her and just focus on her studies and that might be able to get her through the year with few problems. I hoped, anyway.

I had my own share of teasing when I was younger. Every insult hit me harder each time and the beatings didn't help much, either. Eventually I had had enough and started standing up for myself. It helped but I was still considered a 'social outcast.'

Anyway, I knew Ib could get through it better than I ever could. After all, she is a very strong girl.


	9. Chapter 8: Healing Deeper Wounds D

**Hey so here's a new chapter hope you like it. ;) I think I'm really gonna take this story far, so it's not over yet. :D**

**I Don't Own Anything **

* * *

Ib's POV:

Garry took me to drop me off at Mrs. Perkins. I tried not to look at the large house that I used to call my home as he walked me up the front sidewalk.

It was a very nice looking house, cheerful, in someway. Colorful flowers grew in front of the wooden porch and hung from the awning. A green swing sat on the front porch, surrounded by plants of all kinds. The siding was a deep purplish-blue color and the roof was a light grey. It was kind of small but made up for it in looks.

When we got to the door, an old lady answered the door who I assumed was Mrs. Perkins. I've seen her before but I've never really met her. She always seemed nice enough.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" She said, cheerfully, "You must be Ib." I nodded, shyly.

She and Garry made small talk for a few minutes before he announced that he had to leave. I hugged him tightly before he left. I knew it would just be a few hours but I missed him already. I'm not very good around new people anymore…

Mrs. Perkins invited me into her home. It was just as nice on the inside as on the outside. It was very cozy and well furnished.

I felt something wet and cold touch my hand. I quickly pulled my hand away and looked to see what creature could have done it. A smile crossed my face when I realized it was an older golden retriever dog, wagging its tail slowly as if it were happy to see me.

Mrs. Perkins chuckled. "That's Maggie. She won't bite she likes everyone, but it seems as though she's taken a special liking to you."

I smiled and patted her head. It was then I realized that there was more than one animal in the house. A grey cat slept lazily on the couch and a large cage stood in the corner where a beautiful green parrot sat where I later learned was named Sanchez. I thought it was funny how it talked. The cat's name was Laney but all she seemed to do was sleep. Although, she really did like to be petted.

"There are games and puzzles on the shelf if you get bored and the bathroom is down the hall in case you need it. Oh, and if you're hungry let me know."

"Do you have any books?" I asked, shyly.

"Books? Oh sure I do. Lots of them. They're in the den, through there," she said motioning to the tall arch that was to the left of the front room. "Have fun and remember; if you need anything, just holler." She then left and went into the kitchen.

I made my way into the den where I stopped, amazed. All around the room, millions of books stacked neatly and well-kept on high shelves, it looked much like a library . I started with the first book I saw.

The book was a plain, dark red with silver letters that read:

"_Secrets of the Newer World" '_A book about what the world was like before us' It seemed interesting. I flipped through the pages. It was a good-sized books and not many pictures. I didn't mind, though. I didn't really appreciate art that much anymore. I could see myself enjoying this book for a long time.

* * *

Garry's POV:

It had been a long day at work and I was more than ready to head home. I pulled up in Mrs. Perkins' driveway and walked up to the door. I was suprised when the door opened before I could knock.

"Hello, Garry! How was your day?"

"Uh good, busy. Where's Ib?"

"Oh, so sweet. The little darling fell asleep while reading. She's in the den, around the corner."

I stepped into the den to see my adoptive daughter asleep on the loveseat near the lit fireplace. A dark orange, longhaired dog slept by her feet and a book lay on her stomach. She looked so relaxed and happy. I smiled at the sight.

About a week later, things seemed to go a lot smoother. Ib was happier and was eating normally. It was then I remembered how I used to take her to that café for macaroons every Saturday. When I asked her if she wanted to return to that routine, she responded excitedly.

So it was settled, I didn't have work on the weekends so we decided to go that Saturday afternoon. She was so enthusiastic about everything while we were there. I think that our little weekly visits really brightened up her world. Mine, too. It was really nice to see a change in mood around here for once.

While at our usual spot near the front window, we chatted about many random things. Mostly about what her plans were for the future, what she was reading about this week, what she did while at the babysitters, things like that.

Maybe things were finally starting to brighten up?

Ib's POV:

Everything was going great. I realized that reading really cleared my mind of any troubled thoughts. To make it even better, Garry took me to our favorite café that weekend! I remember the first time we came here. When I asked the nice lady what exactly a macaroon was, she smiled at me and said that they were cookies made from sugar and egg whites, with ground almonds or pieces of dried coconut in it. I smiled back. It sounded really good, and it was. Since then, they're my very favorite treat.

While there, the waitress gave us a friendly smile, obviously remembering us from our previous visits. We talked for awhile until it was time to go home. It felt good to talk outwardly and confidently to someone, especially to a close friend. Garry seemed to be in a better mood, as well. He was smiling a lot more and didn't seem to have that sympathetic look to him anymore. The whole atmosphere seemed to be clearing.

Maybe things were looking up for me?


	10. Chapter 9: Friend Anyone?

**Here's the next chapter.(:**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Garry's POV:

As months came and went, it was time for Ib to start school. I had the up most confidence that she would succeed. School starting meant that Ib's daily visits with Mrs. Perkins would come to an end. I think she was slightly disappointed about that.

When her first day came, she seemed exited but maybe a little bit nervous. She always was kind of shy. As we waited for the bus, she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other and wouldn't look up from the ground.

Acknowledging this, I bent down to her level and said, "You know there is no reason to be nervous, right? You're going to go great, you always have before. You're read's improved quite a bit, you know." She looked up. "If you're worried about the other kids, don't. You're a very brilliant young lady and you have so much to look forward to. You're going to be fine."

She smiled a little and hugged me as the bus rolled down the street, coming to a stop.

* * *

Ib's POV:

I felt a little better now. If Garry thought I could do it, I knew I could. I had a smile on my face as I climbed onto the bus. I chose a seat in the front and began to read from the morning sunlight. It was pretty quiet on the bus since I was one of the first ones on but as more people got on, the louder it got.

Eventually, I just gave up on my reading and looked out the window. It was a different bus now that I lived in Garry's apartment so I didn't recognize many people riding.

I sat alone looking out the window and thinking quietly to myself until I felt someone sit down beside me. I turned to see who it was and I got a hand thrown in my face, waiting for a handshake.

"Hi! My name is Ally! I'm new to this school! What's your name?" She spoke so quickly it took me a moment to process what she said.

"…I'm Ib," I said slowly, taking her hand and shaking it.

"That's a nice name," she replied. "Ugh. Sorry if I seem really hyper or annoying… I'm just a little excited because it's the first day of school!"

Ally had very deep greenish-brown eyes and dark skin. She wore black glasses and her long, black hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail.

"I don't mind, to be honest, I'm a bit nervous about starting school. Garry said I'll be okay so I have to be."

"Who's Garry?" She asked.

"Oh he's my.. Uh… he's my friend. Or 'legal guardian,' as the judge had called him." She looked confused. "See, my parents died in a car accident a while ago, so I'm staying with my friend Garry."

"Oh, I'm sorry… That must have been really, really hard."

"Yeah but I know I have to move on because my mom and dad would have wanted me to. If I want to be successful in life, I need to try my best and focus on my future."

Ally looked at me, astonished. "Ya know, you seem really smart. My mommy told me I should stick around people like that. I think we could be really great friends, don't you?" I smiled and nodded.

When we got to school, we discovered that we had the same homeroom and our teacher was named Ms. Riley. I really liked her. She seemed nice.

At lunch, we sat together and talked. I learned that her favorite color was Yellow, because it was cheerful, and that her favorite activity was swimming. She also loved spaghetti, her favorite food. Mine was spagettini, but close enough. I also learned her mother's name was Sandy and that she had a younger brother of six years of age named Dale.

It was clear that we were becoming friends fast and that made me happy. It was really nice to talk to someone my own age that actually understood me. Having a friend gave me encouragement that my life, no matter how hard it seemed sometimes would always get better.

When I got home, I told Garry all about my first day of school. He told me that he was so proud of me and that he told me that I could do it.

I guess he was right.

* * *

Garry's POV: 

When Ib got home that evening, she told me that she had had a wonderful day and that she made a new friend, Ally, was it? She sounded nice by the way Ib had described her. It was great that Ib had made a new friend because it meant she was capable of socialism with kids her age which meant a lot.

I was so proud of her.


	11. Chapter 10: Halloween

**I own nothing**

* * *

Ib's POV:

Crisp air pierced my lungs as I ran down the street to towards my best friend's house. The sky was grey and cloudy but the continuous falling of multi-colored leaves lifted my spirit.

I quickly knocked on the door, ignoring the sound of her three dogs barking from inside. In seconds, the door was opened to reveal Dale, Ally's little brother. He smiled and waved at me, as always he always did.

"Hey, Ib!" A familiar voice came from behind him.

"Hey, Ally."

"So, are you ready to carve pumpkins?" She asked, excitedly. I nodded quickly. "Cool! Come on, my mom's in the backyard with the carving stuff." I followed her through her house and into the backyard.

Her house is a bit bigger than mine is but we have a lot more room now since we moved…

* * *

Garry's POV: 

Ib was having a lot of fun now that she had a friend. Her and Ally hung out almost everyday. It was still pretty agitating for Ally's Mother and I having to drive them back and forth to each other's homes. It was then I realized that it was time to move out of my little apartment on a busy street and into a house in a quieter neighborhood. Besides, we had the money; I had quit my job as a cashier and got out of minimum wage to get a job at the library where the pay was better. I remember when we first looked at our new home…

_The day had come to search for a new home. I knew it would be Ib's home, too so I let Ib help choose. I had the list of the houses that were available in our price range in my pocket as we drove down a street._

_We had looked at many houses in the past few days that were okay but I knew Ib would like this one the best. It took a minute for Ib to figure out where we were. Her eyes widened with joy when she discovered that we were going to look at a house that was just four houses down of her good friend. Besides, the description of the house was perfect: two bedrooms, one bathroom, furnished. Perfect for a first house. To make it even better, it was also only $20,000!_

_The outside of the house a nice light green with a cement porch. The backyard was large and fenced in, good for kids. The best part of it was that it was on the outskirts of New York City so it was quiet, safe, and not very busy. _

_We had to get it, it was perfect._

* * *

Ib's POV:

_I had no idea where we were going that day. For the last few days, we had been going to house, after house looking for the right one to live in. Above all, it was kinda fun. I had never looked for a new house before. I had lived in my parent's 'mansion' my whole life._

_As we turned onto a road, something about it seemed familiar. I didn't realize it until we passed Ally and I's special fort we had built on the opposite side of the road. I got filled with joy as we pulled into the driveway of a house a few houses away from Ally's. _

_When we found the bedrooms, mine was already colored with pale pink paint and some light blue spongy carpet. It was okay._

_In the end, we ended up buying it. After we moved everything in, I quickly ran down to Ally's house right away. I was supposed to meet her to carve some Halloween pumpkins, anyway._

We had so much fun carving pumpkins, except for the part that we had to dig out the pumpkins seeds, even though Ally's father did that for us, it was still really gross looking.

Ally carved a face into her pumpkin, while I used my old carving kit to trace a supposedly 'black' cat into the orange vegetable.

That night, since it was a school night, Garry came to walk me home, carrying the pumpkin with him.

On Halloween night, I went with Garry, Ally, and her family to a haunted house in a motel downtown. I tried not to think about the gallery…

We each got a lot of candy and by the end of the night, we said our goodnight's. It was a fun Halloween and I couldn't wait until next year.


	12. Chapter 11: Not So Bad?

**So I decided that this is going to be a story of Ib's life growing up, or maybe even farther? Idk but i do know that this is going to be a long Fanfic.(:**

**I Own Nuthen**

* * *

Ib's POV:

"_Ten minutes until Christmas break… 5, 4, 3, 2-"_

"Ib!" I looked away from the clock, startled back to the attention of Ms. Riley

"Huh?"

"I _said _can you solve this problem?" I stared, confused at the whiteboard.

"Uh…"

"She wasn't listening, Ms. Riley!"

"_Ugh. Why does that girl always have to make me look so stupid? Stupid Paige Nolen…" _I thought to myself.

"Ib, I know it's exciting that we will all have two weeks away from school but you must pay attention," said my teacher. A few children giggled. I sighed. At least Ally was allowed to spend a night or two after school…

"_Only five minutes left…" _I looked outside to the sparkling, white snowflakes as they took their time falling to the frozen ground.

*_Riiiing!* _

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the bell rang.

"Have a great winter vacation, kids!" Ms. Riley cheerfully sang. "Oh, and don't forget your progress reports!"

School was over! It was about time to, now I could go home, play in the snow, drink some hot chocolate, and enjoy the snowy season.

"Ib! What are you waiting for? Come on, we've got to get on the bus before all the good seats are taken!" Ally's voice called from the classroom door.

I picked up my progress report from the stool in the front of the room.

"Whatcha get?" Asked my best friend when I got to her.

"An A."

"Oh. I got a B-…" She said

"You'll do better next time," I reassured.

As we walked out the front door, and on the bus we talked about what we were going to do later that evening.

"Garry said we can rent some movies when we get back to my house."

"Sweet! Can we get a scary one this time?"

"You know I don't like anything horror related."

"Yeah, I know but just this once? Who knows; you might even like what we get. You never know if you like it if you don't try it," she replied.

"…Well… Okay. I'll try it but it depends on what it's about, okay? She nodded.

I somewhat felt bad for not telling my best friend my biggest secret. I mean, come on, anyone I told would think I was either crazy, or that I was dreaming.

No one would believe me if I told him or her but maybe that's how it should be? I'll tell her someday, when I'm ready. Besides, I have to warn my friend to stay away from that possessed museum.

When the bus stopped at Ally's house, she got off so she could grab her stuff and meet me at my house. I waited in the living room for a few minutes until I heard the doorbell rang and I rushed to the door. After we said our hellos, we went into my room to play.

"Wow. You actually finished that white puzzle?" She asked, gesturing to my table in the corner of my room.

"It's called a milk puzzle, and yes I did."

"Oh. Well, do you want to draw, or color, or something?"

"Sure, my coloring books are on the shelf," she said. We colored for a half-an-hour until we finally decided to ask Garry if he would take us to the video store. He agreed and we set off.

As always, he left us alone to find our own movie. It was nice that he trusted us.

"Okay, so the scary movies are this way!" Ally said, directing me toward the aisle at the far end of the single-room store. I looked kind or weary. I did my best to be brave and hide it, but Ally caught everything. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. We won't get anything you don't like. I nodded.

"How about this one?" She asked handing me a movie. I read it over and gave her a look. "Right, no Sci-fi stuff," she said.

We walked up and down the many rows of movies until Ally handed me another one. _"Ghosts" "Well… I don't remember anything about ghosts back there…"_

"Do you like that one?" My friend asked, hopefully.

"I guess…"

"Do you want to get something funny for afterwards?" She suggested, knowingly, "I mean, if we're allowed?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind…"

When we got home, Ally said that she only liked to watch scary movies after dark, so we waited and to be honest, I wasn't too disappointed. We watched Christmas specials for awhile until we finally considered it dark enough to watch the first movie.

We sat on the couch to the living room. For the most part, it was pretty scary, but kind of fun to watch. The sense of fear and apprehension was a thrill. Maybe it wasn't so bad, after all? It was nice to know that it wasn't really happening and that it wouldn't to me. It was nothing like what Garry and I had experienced… but the day they make a movie about that chaotic gallery is when I draw the line.

Afterwards, we watched the cartoon comedy we had rented. Things seemed funnier when you're with a friend.

* * *

**So that was kinda part of my defenition of a horror movie. I like them a lot, in case you couldn't tell. ;) **


	13. Chapter 12: Happy Thanksgiving!

**O.M.G I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for how long this took! For a long time, I couldn't access my accout so I thought it got deleted somehow. Well it turns out _I was was using the wrong e-mail!_ Arn't I smart! Again I am _soooo _sorry! Pretty please forive me! I was reading over my story and I realized I needed to continue so when I looked myself up, I almost slapped myself in the face to realize how stupid I was to use the e-mail from my first account here. I also changed my name from hey412 to WarriorcCatLove412 because I wanted it to be the same as my Youtube and my DeviantART acount. So yeah... Here we go!**

**And I still own nuthen'.**

* * *

Ib's POV:

Thanksgiving was fun and stuffing. The best part about it was I met Garry's mom and dad. They seemed really nice, and they gave me presents! Specifically a bicycle Anyway, that's not important; what's important is that I was able to meet more people to expand my family tree and encounter new people to love and care about me. I guess that's what Thanksgiving is all about, right? Being with your family is the true reason to be thankful. I remember Thanksgiving with my family…

"_Happy Thanksgiving, Ib!" My father said cheerfully. It was early morning but I could already smell the delicious aroma of our dinner in the oven and Mother told me that after dinner I could have some pumpkin pie! One of my favorite desserts back then. The hardest thing for me on this annual holiday was waiting the whole day for the feast. _

_I went back into my room to find my fluffy teddy bear hamster, Raisin sitting in up in her cage. I smiled and carefully lifted her out of the light blue and black cage. I'd had her for about a month to that day and since the day I got her I carried her everywhere around the house, which sometimes annoyed my mother, considering it was my father's idea to get me a pet. She'd always tell me to keep Raisin either in her cage, or in my room and to never put her down in case she ever got loose. Eventually, though she gave up on her warnings and ignored it._

_When it was finally time to sit down for dinner, we said our prayers and began to eat as a family. We talked, laughed, and overall, we just had a good time together._

"_Ib?" _

"_Yes, father?"_

"_Do you know what Thanksgiving is all about?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Do you know what you're thankful for?" I hesitated for a moment before shrugging my shoulders again. My mother began to explain but my father stopped her. _

"_No. She's a smart girl. I know she can figure it out."_

* * *

Christmas morning came fast although it started eairly and ended late. Garry had let me stay up longer because of the special holiday. I think the best present I received was a TV for my room. I've always wanted one.

I kept my snow globe with me at all times throughout the day. It was my first Christmas without my family so it was far different but it was the happiest time of the year…

My eleventh birthday was held a few weeks after Christmas. Ally, a few of our other friends from school, and I went to the café for the celebration. Later that day, after our dinner at the café, we went to the bowling alley. Arcade games, cake, ice cream, and of course bowling was a lot of fun for everyone. It was an absolute perfect day.

When springtime came, Ally and I went on an Easter egg hunt together on our school playground. Inside the eggs, there was candy, toys, notes and poems, mini chocolate bunnies, and even tinier chocolate eggs inside our tiny plastic eggs. I had to at least gotten ten eggs stacked inside my ironically blue laced, yellow poka-dotted red basket

Springtime, one of my very favorite seasons. A break from school, fresh, warm air, freedom… Everything is so new. A nice change from the freezing cold winds and the flu. The best part is you never know what to expect. Or whom you'll meet…

"Hey Ib, look," Ally said, stopping her bike, looking toward the house at the far end of the street on the other side. I stopped beside her and looked in the said direction. "…it's a moving van…" she said.

"It looks like someone finally bought that house," I said, "I wonder how they can afford it? I heard the incomes were really high…"

"What are you talking about? I'm thinking that their might be another kid in that family! Then we'd have another friend to play with!" She said excitedly, "we could have sleepovers, tell ghost stories, watch movies, watch scary movies, funny movies, watch funny and scary movies, and then-"

"Calm down!" I said, jokingly, "How about we just go over there and see?"

She nodded. "Okay… Sorry."

We road our bikes down to the pale-green house and stopped at the other side of the road, the small forest rustling in the warm breeze behind us.

"Get down. We don't want those people to think we're spying on them," She said.

"But… trenchantly we are…"

"Well we don't want them to know that!" She whispered, pulling me down behind a bush. I rolled my eyes at my friends over dramaticness.

Just then, we saw a young boy, about our age, come out from behind the moving van.

"Hey, you were right Ally. Let's go meet him."

"Ya know what, how about you go and I stay here…" She said.

"What? The great and all-powerful Ally Wittmon is being shy?" I asked in a joking manner. She shrugged slightly but said nothing.

I sighed. "Fine. You stay here and I'll go talk to him."

Crossing the street, after looking both ways, I was close enough to study he new-kid's appearance. He had jet-black hair and his eyes were a mixture of brown and green. His voice was friendly but also held a hint of nervousness.

"Hi! My name is Ib Hart and I live in that house down the street," I said, pointing, "what's your name?"

"Raymond… but people call me Ray. I uh I'm new here." I nodded politely despite his obvious remark. There was a short pause until Ray spoke, finally breaking the semi-awkward silence between us..

"Who's that?" I looked behind me, following his finger, just in time to spot my nervous friend duck behind the bush.

"That's Ally she's… acting weird… but she's okay. She actually lives in that house, kitty-corner from yours." He nodded in response.

"Ally! Come over here!" She shook her head and ducked back down. I turned back to Ray.

"Heh. Just a second," I said quickly running accross the street to drag my unusually shy best friend across the street.

* * *

Ray's POV: 

I had just moved to New York from Virginia to move in with my uncle due to some personal reasons at home. He was moving into a new house with extra space so my parents had agreed to fly me here to 'protect me.' Apparently I was also supposed to help my uncle Robert move… But I still think they could've waited to fly me 414.3 miles away from my home town until after my uncle was moved in.

Anyway, I wasn't surprised to see kids coming around but I was surprised that they, or rather 'she' were actually talking to me. I heard that a lot of people here might not be so nice…

I watched as Ib dragged the second girl across the street toward my uncle's new home. She looked nervous for some reason.

I introduced myself and she said her name was Ally. Ib and Ally. This is good a good start. I'm already making friends!

* * *

Ib's POV:

Ray seemed really nice. We learned that his favorite color was blue and that he loved pizza. Who doesn't, though. His favorite activities were video games { } and soccer. He also loved all kinds of cars he also mentioned that his dad was a mechanic. Typical guy, I guess but I think all three of us could be good friends.

So we started to have adventures together. Like exploring the woods near our houses, playing around and in the large stream deep in the woods far behind my house that nobody owned, catching frogs and toads, etc. Life around here seemed to be getting better, and better.

* * *

** Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! **


End file.
